Take My Hand
by Crystal-Gem-Goddess
Summary: Marinette stared at the cover before her eyes. She couldn't stop flipping through the pages of the comic book featuring the heroic young teenage boy dressed in a black leather suit. Before she knew it she finds herself in the comic, saving Paris along with Chat Noir as Ladybug. Is there any way of getting out?
1. Chapter 1

**Take My Hand**

_Chapter 1_

* * *

"Simple. Just protect the city from evil. Yeah right…what's a kitty in distress to do when there is no one else to save this city except me. What a _CATastrophe_. I'm getting sick of this…"

The boy sat with a grunt, leaning his head against the brick roof of a house. He pouted and rolled his eyes. Blood dripped down his torn leather covered arms, but he could care less; he was used to it. In fact, it didn't hurt one bit. Okay, maybe it stung a bit, but it didn't matter. His muscles were sore.

Chat Noir was his name. Fans would cheer him on, chanting his name many times as he would battle the many threats attacking his home city of Paris. With his tight leather suit, his groomed blonde hair, and charming smile, he was the talk of the city. He was a celebrity to France or maybe even possibly the world at this point. Chat was featured on magazine covers, gossiped about many times, interviewed by many news stations, and even met the president of France. In all honesty, he enjoyed it a bit even though that was against his duties of being a hero. However, was this fame as Chat Noir worth it? Is it worth to be a hero to France when he can barely leave his house without permission from his father?

Being a superhero was no easy task at hand. Especially to a young teenage boy turning fifteen in a few months. His suit and mask were slowly devouring his image and thoughts. He felt different than the Chat he was before almost a year ago when he discovered his new fate as his new heroic image. It all started with that ring; the ring that gives him his powers.

Behind his cat-themed image was the humble rich boy known as Adrien Agreste. He was different than Chat Noir in some ways. He was miserable, locked away, and constantly controlled by his father's wishes. Adrien was tired of modeling the latest clothes of his father or any other well-known fashion designer based in Paris. He was tired of attending elegant fashion shows and attending parties only the most famous and powerful people could attend. No one would ever believe that the boy wearing expensive clothing on the cover of Vogue would be the same beloved kitty boy saving Paris. The only aspects his two personalities shared was his eye color, his hair, and the same fame. Except he was happier with the attention he was receiving as Chat Noir. He despised the attention he would receive as Adrien. He felt like his civilian life was a lie. Another important aspect they both shared was having a bright warm soul that's willing to help anybody in need. Now that's something that would never change.

"Well, if it isn't the small runt of the litter. Come here and fight me like a man. Show the people of Paris how strong you say you are!" A raspy voice echoed through the empty streets. "I want a second round, kitty boy! I want your miraculous!"

Chat ignored him, but he could feel his blood boil at the sound of the voice. He tightly grasped onto his ring. The akumatized man found his hiding spot for recovery. This akuma's strength was based on finding insecurities of each individual that crossed its path. It was just to Chat's luck as his life was falling apart in his hands. It was impossible to not think about his situation every second he could.

"Come here kitty, kitty. I can give you the life you always wanted."

At last, Chat replied with a groan, his voice shaking a bit. "I don't...I...that's where you're wrong!"

The akumatized man was only a couple of inches away from Chat at this point. His dark red cape covered his entire body and his hood draped over his head, leaving only his white eyes to be noticeable. He grinned to Chat, showing his razor-sharp teeth. It sent shivers down the hero's spine as their eyes met.

"What's the matter? Cat's got your tongue?"

At this point, the teenager's nerves were being struck. He gritted his teeth and let out a hiss. His hands were slowly transforming into fists, releasing black sparks from them.

"I said you're wrong. And I'm the one who does the cat puns around here!"

…

"Marinette! Stop drawing on your journal and continue writing the notes I wrote on the board!"

"Nyaa! Ou-oui, madame!" the addressed dark hair colored girl stuttered. The other students laughed as she gathered her supplies that fell off her desk while she jumped at the sharp sound of her name.

 _God, how embarrassing…_

Her cheeks were burning red as she gave a faint smile to her glaring teacher. She even nervously chuckled, sweat starting to form on her forehead.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the most clumsy one in her class. She was always the shyest and awkward one since she was a little girl, but it didn't alter her positive bubbly attitude. Marinette slowly straightened herself up on her seat and tried to focus on the task on the board.

 _Physics...ugh..._

However, she must pass her classes for her report's sake. The pencil twirled in her tight grasp as she stared at the words on the board, but couldn't make any sense out of it. Marinette sighed. Besides her sat her best friend, Alya who looked at Marinette and gave her a grin.

"What were you doing now, girl?" Alya playfully whispered. "Daydreaming about that cute boy we saw at the café yesterday?"

Marinette instantly shook her head, her cheeks turning red again. "No, no, no...I was working on some designs. I was inspired by this boutique that opened down the street from me."

Shuffling the blank pages to the side, she presented her designs to her friend. Dresses with floral patterns and ruffles were scattered around the page. Tops with pink accents, bottoms with unique patterns, and shoes of flats, heels, boots, and sandals were drawn on the side of each outfit. Marinette was proud of her work.

Alya blinked at her and smiled. "Those are great designs, but this isn't the time to work on them. If you want my notes after class you can copy them."

"I guess, but I might need help cause I-" The clumsy girl began to whisper until she was cut short by her teacher who made her jump once again.

"Marinette, would you gladly explain what Electric Power is to the whole class? I assume you seem to know more than this lesson than I thought."

 _Why? I don't know…_

Marinette stood up from her chair, grabbing Alya's notes and looked down to the writing. She chuckled as she could feel all eyes on her. Especially her enemy, Chloe...oh no.

"Electric Power is the power of electricity and…uhh..."

"If you paid any attention to what I said then you wouldn't have to take a look at your friend's notes. Meet me after class, mademoiselle." The teacher spat with annoyance as she turned her back to Marinette, erasing material on the board.

In the front row of the room, she could hear Chloe and her henchman Sabrina laugh to themselves in a quiet tone. Marinette growled under her breath and flopped down to her seat. She knew this moment was going to haunt her as her enemy will be taunting about it for the days to come.

 _That brat...why does she have to be around at the worst time possible? Why couldn't she skip class today like she always does nowadays…?_

"I can help you with this class, Mari. After school let's meet up at your place, alright?" Alya said with courage, taking her notes back and then patted Marinette's back in comfort.

Marinette's bright blue eyes beamed with hope as she smiled at her faithful trusting friend. How lucky was she to have a great friend like Alya. "And I also think you want some of my dad's bakery cookies for free, right?"

Alya laughed. "You know me so well. Or if you want we can go back to that café to see that cute boy again, huh…what if he makes a move on you."

"Oh no…"

Marinette was red again.

…

Paris was a beautiful city at night. With all the sounds of people talking and laughing, the glistening lights of the streets, the sound of music echoing through the walls of venues, and the delicious smell of Parisian food being cooked was only part of the beauty in it.

Marinette slowly walked through the streets, her school bag swinging on her back and her phone in hand, scanning through her feeds. She would occasionally giggle to herself as she looked through the photos of her and her friends. She twirled her pigtails through her fingers, occasionally looking at the small shops she would pass by.

Life was good for her at the moment. However, she was a bit concerned about her talk with her teacher. Several minutes of promising to improve herself won her teacher over, giving her another chance. This time she couldn't slack off. Her friends had other plans. They all went to the café which had the attention-grabbing boy. After about an hour of the girls trying to woo the attention of the cute barista and Marinette screaming inside her mind, she decided it was time to go home before her parents started to worry about her. Alya and the rest of the girls didn't even go over the notes they promised to Marinette, but it didn't matter as it was Friday night. They had plenty of time before their next class.

New message:

 _Alya - I'm home! My parents were expecting me to bring home some pastries from your dad's bakery, but oh well…my sisters were so disappointed. :/_

Marinette smirked.

 _Me - I didn't even want to go to the café. I was going to treat you all with some delicious croissants, but I guess that will have to wait. LOL. There is always next time. :)_

After sending the message, she quickly put her phone away and resumed to look at the passing shops. Some of the shops were closing for the night as employees were cleaning up the area and were locking the doors. Other shops were packed with shoppers wasting their money on overpriced items. Tourists were paying too much for clothing with illustrations of the Eiffel Tower on them, but it didn't seem to matter as they all were ecstatic about their new treasured memories from France. Marinette smiled, feeling a bit envious as she longed to vacation and to discover a new place. Maybe someday...

"Bonsoir, mademoiselle! You seem like you had a long stressful day."

The dark haired girl stopped in her track and turned to the voice that greeted her. Standing in front of a small oriental shop was an older Asian man as he smiled at her. Marinette gave a sheepish grin and waved back. She was confused and a bit alarmed.

"Oh, bonsoir! I'm ok. Don't worry. Hehe…" Her eyes were caught by the items in the shop. _This man must be the owner of the shop_ , she thought.

Behind the other side of the glass, separating the shop from the outside, she could see multiple unique clothing and items. It seemed to be clothing coming from China, Africa, Japan, Mexico, Peru and other countries. There were even instruments and small figurines on display. What made this shop interesting was the fact that she never saw this shop before. It just appeared out of nowhere. Marinette raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

The door rang as it opened when the girl decided to step inside and take a closer look at the items. Two other customers were already in the shop as well, already gathering some items for them to purchase. This gave Marinette a bit feeling of security as she wasn't the only one in the shop. Her blue eyes scattered towards the many tiny little unique items from around the world. Walking over to the glass counters, she picked up a small geisha figurine. Little glassy brown eyes, small plump red lips, and black hair picked up in a bun made the doll beautiful, but it's silky pink dress was the main feature of it. The shining colors of light pink, creamy white, and tints of gold was such a magnificent combination for the kimono. The colors brought together the patterns of flower petals and birds. Marinette was astonished. However, her gaze was cut short when she noticed something out of the ordinary for this small shop; a comic book. The cover had a heroic young teenager in a black leather suit standing in front of the silhouette of the city. His green eyes stared back at her, yet they seemed to realistic to be a drawing. The comic was titled:

 _Les Aventures du Chat Noir_

"I never heard about this comic series...what is this?" Marinette questioned, putting the geisha doll down and picking up the comic.

As she picked it up, she could've sworn she saw the expression of the hero change into a smug look. It sent shivers down her spine, but she couldn't resist looking into it.

"Who is Chat Noir?"

* * *

 _ **Hey Miraculous Ladybug fandom! Why am I obsessed with this show? Why do I love a teenage boy in a cat costume so much? The world may never know...**_

 _ ** _I used to write for the Steven Universe fandom, but I left for 2 years because of personal issues. I started to get back into writing when I started to read ML fics and I just had the feeling that I had to write. Well, here I am. I am going to finish this story because this story idea, which I hope no one did, popped into my head for a couple of months._ SOME _of my SU fics will be finished. Give me some time to get back into writing fics._ **_

_**Peace,**_

 _ **-Crystal Gem Goddess.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Take My Hand**

 _Chapter 2_

* * *

Flipping through the pages of the comic, Marinette was slowly getting drawn into it. The bright colors of each page and those eyes...there is something about those eyes. She couldn't stop staring into them because it was as if she was being hypnotized by them.

 _Adrien...you got this…You can confront your father, this time._

Marinette stopped scanning through the pages. On the page was the true identity behind Chat Noir's mask. He was seen standing in the middle of a long hallway in what is presumed to be his mansion. There was also a frown seen on his face. The panel following showed a close up of Adrien's face. It was definitely shown that he is clearly upset as tears were rolling down his cheeks.

 _Don't be scared. He doesn't control your life._ Adrien continued to think to himself with shut eyes in the text block on the page. Tears were now dripping down his chin onto his shirt.

"What is he upset about? Why is he scared of his own father?" Marinette whispered to herself as she continued to look, her heart feeling sympathy for the boy in the comic.

On the next page, she could see Adrien's hand forming into a tight fist. She noticed how the illustrations were focused on the ring on his finger. It was silver, but it seemed to be glowing with how tight he gripped onto it.

 _He doesn't control you…_

A close up of his head leaning down covered the entire next page, but this time it seemed that he was breathing. His chest would slowly rise and fall. Marinette could feel her heart drop to her stomach; she couldn't move. Her slender fingers held onto the comic in her hands as she let out a noticeable loud gulp. The next second was a second that would haunt her forever; Adrien slowly lifted up his face and stared back into Marinette's shrinking pupils. How is it possible? He moved as if he was real. His eyes blinked back to her with more tears forming from the corners. The page was also becoming damp with it, the stain growing throughout the image.

"No...how? What is this? Am I...am I dreaming?" she shrieked, looking deep into his green eyes. He had such charming eyes. "Yes, that's it. I passed out in the café from embarrassment."

At this point, the other two customers were giving looks of concerns towards the girl who was shaking. Slowly and quietly, they left their items behind and exited the shop, leaving Marinette alone. She didn't even notice the door opening and closing, which then left the only noise being small steps coming towards her direction and her heavy breathing. Her muscles became more tense after every second and her face was drained of her original color. She then screamed as someone poked her back.

"Mademoiselle? Is everything alright?" a familiar croaky voice spoke. Marinette slowly turned to look over her shoulder. It was the older man from outside and there was no look of annoyance on his face. Instead, he seemed to be slowly smiling. How strange…

"Oui, monsieur. I am fine. I just...think I'll get this comic book. It's very interesting so far...heh heh." She nervously chuckled and closed the comic book, holding it underneath her arm. "How much would it be?"

The older Asian man lightly laughed back as well, leaving Marinette more confused than ever. She could feel her body temperature rise in alarm. There were so much regret and embarrassment going through her mind.

Why? Just why? Marinette repeated to herself so many times.

"Do not worry about it. You can just take it because you seemed to be enjoying Chat Noir more than anyone I ever saw." He answered to her surprise.

She was taken back. So many questions ran through her mind. "Merci beaucoup! I will definitely become a fan after this issue!"

Her feet shuffled to find the way towards the exit as she continued to smile and wave at the older mysterious man. As she made her way to the exit and being the clumsy girl she is, she would trip over items, but quickly get back on balance. Reaching the door and waving her last goodbye, as well as thanking the man, she quickly left the shop and was back in the streets again. The older man stood in the middle of the empty shop, his smile disappearing and he made his way towards the back.

"I sense that Ladybug is coming soon. She has to be the right one! Just you wait and see Chat Noir!"

…

In a quick dash and throwing her bag to the side, Marinette closed her door and jumped to her bed. She knew her parents were probably questioning her sudden rush towards her room, but she figured she would explain later; but what could she say? There was no time for that.

"Please tell me I am dreaming...please…" Marinette begged as she started to scan through the pages of the comic.

Her mind was going in circles as she stared into those green eyes with each turning page, but to her surprise, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The boy in the comic was nothing more than an illustration. She frowned and grunted.

"I...huh…?" The page was then on the same page she saw the hero's civilian self. Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. Adrien was clearly nothing but an image on the page. However, a strange new feature of the page included a stain. It was the same form that his tears were spreading out on the page. The teenage girl felt like she was losing her mind, feeling more tenser than before.

A knock on the door was enough to snap her out of her spiraling thoughts. By the light tapping on the door, she already could tell her mother was on the other side of it.

"Marinette? Are you ok? Your father and I were worried about you. You came rushing in and didn't say anything."

Marinette threw the comic underneath her pillow, biting onto her bottom lip. _What should I say?_

"Hehe, yeah. I just had to...uhh…" Her eyes took in the setting she was in, thinking of many excuses that could come to her mind.

"Marinette? Would you please open the door?"

 _Me and Alya got robbed...no no. Too extreme. She'll lose it. I got lost on the way...how? I take the same route everyday. Hmm...the metro or bus was running late...no..._

It took her a couple of seconds until she had to blurt out the best excuse she could think of.

"I'm sorry! I had use the bathroom really badly, mom. I'm changing too. I'll be out shortly."

 _Oh no...ahh! Is that the best I could do?_ Yet, Marinette's made up excuse was enough to calm her worrying mother as she could hear a sigh of relief.

Shortly after, her mother's footsteps disappeared from the stairs leading to her room, leaving the teenager in quietness. Thoughts were still spinning in her mind and it was impossible to fight the urge to continue reading the comic, but she had to fight. She groaned once again, picking her legs up and walked towards her drawers. To her, freaking out over small things was always expected from her and people would pay no mind to it that much; yet, this is something different than her other "normal" panic attacks. Some may say she could be losing her mind and even claim that she is just seeing things, but she knew it was the contrary. It had to be.

After changing into a black tank top and fluffy pink pajama bottoms, she was out of her room and ran down the steps leading towards the living room. Marinette sweetly smiled to her parents, embracing them in a hug. She felt a slight tinge or relief seeing the same faces who raised her as she was a bit shaken from her experience. The next hours consisted of nothing but laughter along with her parents as they told her about a crazy experience with a customer at their bakery. The comic book was slowly disappearing from her mind.

…

Yet, there it was again. The comic book was in plain sight on Marinette's lap. Her eyes were glued onto the front page of it and she would bite her lip as she debated on whether she should read it, instead of scanning through it. She would nervously tap her foot, letting out a loud noticeable gulp. Occasionally she would check her phone, in case her best friend was texting that she was on her way since she proposed on spending time with her, but nothing. Marinette sighed.

Marinette was seen sitting on the benches in a park known as Square of Saint-Jacques Tower, where a lot of Parisians can be seen enjoying the warm spring day. Children were screaming with bottles of bubbles in their small hands and adults would talk amongst themselves throughout the park. Birds chirped, bugs buzzed, and the calming sound of leaves moving from the warm breeze was mingled with the urban sound of city life with people walking and cars beeping at each other. So many people everywhere, but Marinette was alone with no one around her area. The atmosphere was peaceful, but the dark-haired teenager was trembling out of anxiety in her mind.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the mysterious comic, her stomach already dropping to the lowest depth there could be. Maybe it was her lunch not setting well in her stomach, but she knew it couldn't be. Over the past couple of hours, she couldn't help but think about Chat's bright green eyes. He was somewhat attractive to her, but...oh god, what was she thinking!

 _Those are such ridiculous thoughts! Why would I be crushing on a guy who's not real!_ Marinette stuck her tongue out and shivered.

But, the comic was rather intriguing. She just had to learn about him. The first page showed the true identity of Chat Noir; Adrien Agreste. _Such a handsome guy…_ Marinette blushed. He was drawn modeling clothes for a new summer collection that his father designed and a layout of many magazines featuring him on the front cover was scattered on the page. Girls were even on the corner of the pages with hearts in their eyes.

Once the cameras were off, he could be seen frowning. Adrien could also be seen arguing with the shadowy figure that represented his father and was soon escorted out by his personal bodyguard. Anger was his expression as he gritted his teeth and his hands were fists. Late into the night, Adrien would climb out of his window and escape into the night, trying to find what his city would have in store for him - but it was nothing but a disappointment since there seemed to be no escape from his miserable locked up life. His head would hang low with his hands in his pockets as he was seen walking through Paris at night. The boy's face was covered with the shadow of his hoodie and his feet would kick random pebbles on the road. Marinette felt her heart sting with each frame that she looked. He was deeply hurt.

As he would walk, an older man was seen waiting for the light to change so he could cross the street. The man seemed like he could barely walk as he was handling his cane like his life depended on it and his legs shook with each step. This is where Marinette raised an eyebrow and lously gasped. It was the same strange man from the shop she went the day before. The exact same features, the exact same wrinkles of his face placed exactly where they are, and the same light brown color of his eyes.

"I-is he the artist or writer of this?" Marinette questioned out loud. She continued to read. "Did he create Chat Noir?"

It was then at the next panel that he seemed to be severely struggling, making him lose the balance of his cane as he fell in the middle of the street. Fear struck his eye as he looked up to the light which was now green. The older man was doomed as he dared to turn his head and look at the coming car that would not stop. Like a deer in the headlight, he couldn't move. Flipping to the next page, in a second, Adrien could be seen running to the scene and holding a hand out to halt the car that was about to end the man's life. The bright lights of the car made the shadows of the two figures stand out, but they were lucky enough to stop the coming vehicle. Adrien held out a helping hand to the elderly man and gave back his cane, sweetly smiling to the man.

'Merci! Merci beaucoup!' The elderly repeated with relief as he held onto Adrien's hand and tried to lift himself up.

'No problem. I'm glad I could help. Be careful though.' Adrien replied with a smile still presented on his face. His eyes gleamed, making Marinette's cheeks red again as she looked into them. Sure, it might be strange for her heart to feel jittery when she looked at him, but she couldn't resist. Adrien had a hard of gold and his face was enough to present it. Such slim strokes that shaped his facial structure and with the use of colors shaded onto his face, it brought him to life. His face was delicate with tinges of rose pink colored into his cheeks. Marinette couldn't stop blushing.

After getting the man off the street and thanking Adrien once again, the man went his separate way. He walked away with a smirk on his face, pacing himself far away from the teenage boy. The older man had left behind a small box on the sidewalk beside the kind soul who saved him, his smirk growing bigger with each panel. Soon enough, Adrien noticed the item. The blonde haired boy took the box into his hands and looked up to see if the man was still within eye's view; he wasn't.

Adrien stood in his spot for a moment as he stared at the small black velvet box in hand, not sure what to do with it. His expression was a look of concern, but it quickly changed to shock when he looked toward his wrist and read the time.

 _'_ 3:45am _'_

He quickly turned on his heels and quietly followed the same path that leads to his home. Not one being could be seen as he walked through the wealthy empty Parisian neighborhood, making him unseen by any eye to witness on what was about to happen next. Flipping the page, Adrien could be seen opening the box. What lied inside it was beyond his expectations as it was a silver ring that was lightly glowing green. The boy blinked twice and even rubbed his eyes to see if there was an illusion that was playing tricks on him, but he was wrong. The ring had a paw print on it and a small note was placed behind the ring.

 _'A furry beast with whiskers walks through Paris at night. A furry beast kills his mice with one bite. The feline cries. **Claws out!** '_

Adrien took the ring upon his hand and cautiously wore it as he read the note out loud. At this moment, his life changed forever - he was someone new. A glowing green aurora surrounded the boy and like magic, his clothing changed into skin-tight leather and both of his eyeballs was now completely green. Adrien was out of sight as a new being stood in his place. The being was Chat Noir. He stood there dumbfounded, looking at his new outfit and even let out a small shriek as he noticed his shadow from the streetlight. The boy noticed he had cat ears and a tail made from a belt tied around his waist. His gaze was then focused on a new object in his presence; the beautiful deep blue eyes belonging to Marinette staring back at him. He smiled at her as if he was alive once again.

Marinette froze. She couldn't believe it. This had to be a trick. It has to - for her sanity's sake. Not again. Taking the next step, she smiled back and slowly raised a hand to wave at him. Chat tilted his head to the side and was now walking closer to her. Despite being trapped in a comic book world, he seemed like he was alive. With each step that he took to get closer to her, Marinette her heart thump harder and every ounce of blood drained from her face, leaving her as pale as a cloud. She wanted to run as far as possible from this situation and leave the comic behind, yet her heart was telling her to not do it. Her thoughts were foggy with many thoughts.

"Why hello, princess." Chat called out to her. "Come with me. Our adventure awaits, my lady."

He lifted his hand to reach Marinette's, breaking the barrier of the comic book world from reality. Marinette looked at the hand reaching out to her then turned to look at her surroundings. She was still alone. Biting her lip, the girl looked towards Chat and gulped, her pupils dilating in fear. Would anyone even notice she would be gone? Was she dreaming? Should she trust him? Heaven knows what could be waiting for her on the other side...death possibly. Is all of this even real?

Yet to her dismay, Marinette found herself reaching for Chat's hand. Her fingers intertwined with his icy cold leather covered fingers, her heart shaking inside her ribcage. Her eyes looked deep into his again. Marinette could feel her breathing get harder as she leaned closer to him. What was there to lose?

In seconds, everything went black.

* * *

 _ **Here it is! The next chapter! Chapter 3 will be up soon. :)**_

 _ ** _I also have an idea for 2 other ML series I wanted to start working on_.**_

 _ **1 - "Creepy Love Letters from Chat Noir", which is exactly like it sounds. There will be drabbles that follow after every episode that include Chat's letter to Ladybug. It is basically something short and silly.**_

 _ **2 - "9 Lives" I wanted to write a 9 chapter story about the background of Tiki and Plagg, and how they both ended up with Marinette and Adrien in Paris. The story will tell about their previous miraculous holders. This will be an AU. Some chapters take place in ancient China, Egypt, Japan, Mexico, New York, the Wild West, and more.**_

 _ **Tell me what you think. Also a SU**_ _ **one shot may be coming soon, to get me back into writing SU fanfic. Stay tuned! :)**_

 _ **Please review/fav/follow cause it really inspires me to write more! You can even write in the reviews to say hi! :)**_

 _ **Love you all!**_

 _ **-Gem Goddess**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Take My Hand**

 _Chapter 3_

* * *

Something cold. Something that dripped down every dark black strand of her hair. It rolled down her face and curved around her nose and small lips, then proceeded to fall off her chin. It must be raining. More drops of water came flying towards her, bathing her and leaving her hair soaked. She sat leaning against the brick walls of an unknown building, every bone in her body aching in pain as if all the forces of the world slammed her against the sturdy bricked wall. It was a miracle on how she survived this strange situation, but she didn't question it. Slowly opening her eyes, she tried to gain her consciousness and smacked her lips. She couldn't remember anything. However, her new scenery was a new surprise that completely swept her off her feet.

In an instant, she sprung up with her eyes widening in fear. She was alone in a dark sketchy alleyway in the pouring rain. The dark gloomy clouds made the skies look like it was night. This new scenery was extremely noisy though as sirens and helicopters echoed throughout the area, and the lights could be combined with the loudness as it was brighter than anything she has ever seen. It felt like she was in another world.

Her lips managed to stagger the only question on her mind. "Where am I?"

She wondered if she was still in Paris or even France. Her mind then traveled to maybe the possibility that she could be in another country. Perhaps America? Perhaps Japan? London? It was all still a mystery to her. Heavens knows where she could be at the moment.

"How did I get here?"

A sharp pain stroke her stomach as she asked that question, making her drop to her knees and grit her teeth. She clutched her hands into a fist and that's when she noticed a completely new discovery that made her even question is she was still even on earth. Her hands were covered with spandex fabric. Slowly lifting her hands she gasped and then proceeded to view her entire body, noticing that she was wearing a red suit with black polka dots all over it. The rain wouldn't even soak into the fabric as it would just roll off it, not even making it wet. Her blue eyes then met noticed her new image being reflected on a small puddle. A red mask with the same pattern as her suit was placed on her face, yet her hair still remained the same in pigtails.

" _Who am I?! WHO AM I?! WHERE AM I?! Can I please go back home? I don't even know where it is, but please!"_

"Well, I'm afraid you can't go back to 'your home' now. But hey, stay _PAWsititive_ , my lady. I'm here to protect you!"

Not even in a second, she snapped her head up and saw the silhouette of a new person walking past the fogginess of the evaporating rain and was heading her direction. It was a boy...in a leather black suit with cat ears, a tail, a bell, and a black mask on his face. He seemed very familiar. Those green vibrant eyes again. Her memory was slowly recollecting itself as she could remember bits of the events that previously happened. Just not very well though.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Chat Noir." The boy was now standing in front of her leaning against the extended rod in his hand. He had a cheeky smile and a rather cocky attitude. The masked boy extended his arm and lightly grasped onto her slim delicate hands, then placed a kiss above her knuckles. He purred. " _Enchanté_."

The girl quickly took her hand back, lightly blushing at his sudden introduction, and crawled back against the brick wall. Miraculously, she managed to ask the following question as she looked at Chat. "Where am I?"

Chat lightened up as soon as she asked this question and even chuckled to himself. "Why, you're in Paris!"

 _Paris?!_ _Wait...my home is here._ The girl mentally sighed in relief as she recalled that her family and home is there, but more questions wanted to be asked yet she knew they would most likely be unanswered. She just couldn't even remember where in the city she lived exactly.

"So what's with the new set up? Are you a new superhero that's fated to save Paris with me? Cause that'll be _PAWsome_!" He leaned closer to her, his smile widening in a rather alarming way.

 _Creepy…_

An eyebrow was raised as she hesitantly responded. "No…?"

The girl knew she had to get out of there. She didn't trust this stranger that much as he was making her rather uncomfortable; she even questioned what was with him and puns. Struggling to get on her feet, she grasped onto each brick her hands grabbed onto and dragged her back up against it. Her bones were still in pain. She didn't care. Chat would offer to help her up, but she would instantly shoot glares at him which was enough to make him back up. As soon as she was stable enough and had the balance she needed to keep her on her feet, she brushed past him and was off into the fogginess of the alleyway. She didn't know where her destination was. Again, she didn't care.

"My lady...where are you going?" Chat asked, a bit taken back at her touch.

The girl snickered and slightly turned to her right, looking at Chat over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes, her gaze then falling to the ground. "I just want to get out of the rain…my hair is getting wet. I also want to go home..."

The cat hero followed her trail with the same smile he had before which made her roll her eyes. He placed his hand on her shoulder and raised his head to look at the cloudy pouring skies. Rain fell upon his face, wetting his blonde locks and dripping down his fake cat ears. There was no better sensation than the feeling of rain falling, touching bare skin. It was cleansing. He felt freedom and it felt amazing. The hero giggled as if he was a little boy. However, the girl gave him a look of concern and shook his hand off her, then proceeded to walk away.

Chat chuckled. "My lady. Rain is good for the soul."

"Haha, it sure is, Chat Noir!" a new voice chimed in, shocking the two teenagers. They both looked up and saw the being the voice belonged to. It was a man wearing a red cape with pure white eyes looking down at them from his stance on the roof above the two. "It's funny because cats hate water, but here you are playing in the rain. How adorable..."

"Not this akuma, again…" Chat hissed, retracting his rod and got ready to stop any evil intent this man had.

"And it seems, that you brought a new friend. How charming...it seems that being a ladybug is her theme, right?" The akuma man floated down to the girl's direction and smiled, showing her his sharp teeth. Her mouth opened as she wanted to scream, but nothing came out. It seemed like every nerve in her body was frozen as she stood there, not even shaking.

"You know, she seems like a beautiful girl, Chat. Is she your _little bug_? Your girlfriend?"

The two instantly blushed at the question. Just the thought of being together was ridiculous enough, but it was something that made their hearts thump a bit faster. Chat looked at her, she the same, as they looked at each other in the eyes. He blushed a bit harder than her, his eyes widening as the pair of blue eyes met his.

"What do you think about him, _Ladybug_? A furball with fake charisma. A boy with an obsession with cat puns. A pathetic hero with many insecurities. Weak. A beautiful lady like you deserves better." The girl broke the connection between her and Chat as she heard the insults being made. She glared at the akuma and huffed.

"I don't see that. I think he is trying his best and I respect that. No, we aren't dating, but he's my friend. I'd like to see you accomplish his hero duties." She challenged the man. "Chat Noir is at least better than you!"

The akumatized man grinned as he looked over to Chat Noir, who stood there dumbfounded. His rod fell from his hand as he shifted his eyes between his new acclaimed friend and the akuma, and soon shook his head. He couldn't believe that at least someone was standing up for him for the first time. Chat was used to living with every cruel remark directed towards him and was even used to people insulting him when he would sometimes fail to protect his home city. The words that the man said was heart piercing as Chat knew that it was true, hitting his insecurities. But he had let it slip off his shoulders like the pouring rain falling down his suit. He couldn't believe what he heard. Yet, here he was, listening to the girl defend him for once in his life. It felt like a bit of the heavy emotional weight he always carried around was lifted off his back. How lucky was he to now have her as his friend?

"Also leave us alone…" She growled, forming her hand into a fist and throwing it at the man's chest. Her coming fist was stopped when his muscular arms caught it in time before it could make an impact. He shook his head and laughed in a rather startling way.

"As you wish, Ladybug." And with that, the man was gone, vanishing from their sights. So was the girl as she walked away from the scene.

"I uhh...my lady. Thank you. Merci." Chat broke the silence, catching up to her. He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment and the redness in his cheeks came back. "You are a good friend, Ladybug."

She paused and turned to him. There was always something about each other when they would see each other. It felt like they were made for each other. As if they completed one another. Butterflies would wildly roam in the pits of their stomachs, but they accepted it. She cracked a smile to him and lifted her arm up, her fist again in the air as she quietly offered a fist bump for him.

"Pound it." The two spoke in unison, bumping their fists together and broke out in laughter, not paying any mind to the heavy rain. Chat knew he was going to heavily value their new friendship. She was the only friend he had at the moment.

"So, um, can I call you Ladybug, my lady? It fits your suit and style. You even bring good luck and you're helpful like one."

The girl smiled at Chat. Her heart and mind had accepted the fact that she now trusted this hero.

"Yes. I am Ladybug."

* * *

I _ **know this was a short chapter, but I couldn't resist releasing this. I wanted to make a chapter of just their first interaction here.**_

 _ **My Steven Universe one shot is still in the making and I'm planning out my "9 Lives" fic. Stay tuned. :)**_

 _ **Please follow/review/share/favorite this story as it supports me so much :) **_

_**Thanks! Next chapter is coming soon!**_

 _ **-Gem Goddess**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Take My Hand**

 _Chapter 4_

* * *

"Bonjour, you have reached Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Je suis désolé, but I am unable to answer now so please leave a message and I'll talk to you soon. Au revoir! _Try calling again or please leave a message after the tone._ " *beep*

Alya rolled her eyes as she got off the subway, scrolling through the messages she has sent to her friend. No response at all. She was a bit concerned about Marinette, but at the same time, she knew her friend well enough to miss these calls. She figured that Marinette was probably dozing off or even drawing in her sketchbook, not noticing the light or buzz from her phone. First, it was her who was messaging her and calling her for nearly thirty minutes, asking where she was. Now it was the contrary, as Alya was now trying to contact her friend many times. Yet, with every call, she heard Marinette's cheerful voice followed by the monotone voice of the answering bot.

Alya's phone kept ringing with the many notifications coming from a group chat involving other friends at their school. Even they were a bit puzzled as Marinette was silent for far too long than she could've been.

[Nino: Any luck trying to contact her?]

[Alya: No, but let's go to the park either way. She was waiting for us there.]

[Rose: I have a bad feeling about this… :( ]

[Alya: No no no! Don't think about that. You know our Mari. She would never ditch on us. She was annoying us all month about wanting to go to this and I finally won tickets for us for the world premiere for this. She's gonna be so surprised! ^^; ]

[Nino: She was the one who wanted us to go together to see that movie.]

[Juleka: I'm at the park, but I don't see her. I'll try again.]

[Alya: Ditto. Let's meet up.]

[Luka: I'm running late. I'll see if I can catch Mari on the way. :/ ]

[Rose: I still have a bad feeling about Mari… :( ]

As soon as she stepped a foot into the park, she noticed her friend right there. Instead of the usual shy greeting Alya would receive from Juleka, she noticed her turn to look back at her and then returned her attention to the ground behind some bushes. No one was around the area which made it a bit more intimidating. There was a look of fear as she stood there, motioning for her just as confused friend to come closer. She did.

"Hey, girl. What's wrong?" Alya asked until she noticed an unusual sight that caught her off guard. Marinette's phone was on the ground, illuminating bright lights with each message the group chat would send to each other. Next to it was an opened comic book. Alya couldn't believe her eyes.

"Marinette's phone…" Juleka whispered, biting on her bottom lip. "This is not a good thing."

Alya picked up the two items on the ground, wondering how they managed to stay there in public without getting stolen and was wondering what could've happened to Marinette. Her heart shook at the many scenarios that could've been the fate for her best friend. Instantly, she shook them off. She looked through the home screen of Marinette's phone with many notifications from her social medias and also noticed the messages from their friends and even parents. The farthest unread notification dates back to an hour ago. Maybe that's how far she's been, dare to say, gone.

The two girls looked at each other then back to the items, thinking of ways to find their friend. Forget the movie premiere and tickets. There was a more important matter in their hands - that is trying to find their beloved bubbly clumsy friend, Marinette.

"What's with this comic book? She never read comics before, did she?" the dark-haired girl asked, her violet eyes looking for an answer in her friend's own, and by the looks of it, Alya seemed to be just as puzzled as she was.

"Marinette wasn't really into reading comic books. I mean, this could be one of her sketching experiments but still...there's just no sketchbook around. Maybe she wasn't drawing...unless she took it with her."

"...but without her phone?"

They both gulped. Holding the book in their hands, they scanned through the pages which told the story of Chat Noir, but then it was left completely blank halfway through the book. The last page focused on a new character which looked a lot like Marinette, but with a red and black polka dotted mask on. She was grinning to the hero in black suit, who grinned back at her.

"Maybe she was finishing this for someone. I mean she's a good artist." Juleka stated, twirling her hair in her hands.

Alya rubbed her temples then adjusted her glasses, being unsure of whether that statement of finishing the book was true or not. "I guess she could be finishing it...but-"

She was cut off as soon as she saw the next blank page shine, an image slowly appearing on it. This time it was the two heroes looking towards the Eiffel Tower with small specks of light blue, presumably rain, surrounding them. The two gasped.

"Oh my gosh...what is going on!" Her friend stated, taking a few steps back. "This is weird...and not in a good way!"

"Crazy weird." Alya added. "What happened to Mari? And why is this comic book doing that?"

…

Lightning struck and the rain was furiously pouring down, but it didn't stop the two masked teenagers. They hid underneath the shed of a building, out looking towards the Eiffel Tower. Chat sat with Ladybug by his side, talking about his duties as a superhero. Between each sentence, she would giggle at his intentional lame puns as he would sneak them in their conversation. He would often look over to her and try to get closer, but she would push him away or back up. He could often also feel his cheeks get warmer with her sweet laughs and those gorgeous blue eyes. Beads of water would slip through her hair and roll down her neck, making her brush them off. Ladybug would often stretch her muscles and get up to look out to the iconic tower, thinking about what he assumed was the unknown. Chat knew he found this girl somewhat attractive from the moment he saw her. He knew who she was behind the mask as well.

 _That's her! Marinette is her name...so heavenly…_ He thought, a love-struck droopy grin came from his lips. Chat purred, feeling his heart skip a beat. _I'm such a lucky kitty cat to finally meet my lady. I'm even luckier if she's gonna help me. That costume makes her look so…beautiful and even...hot._

Chat wanted to tell her what happened and how she somehow got stuck into his chaotic world, yet he felt like he just couldn't. It was too crazy to believe. For once he had a friend to accompany him as a superhero and to possibly help him...that is if she agreed to save Paris along with him. The boy knew something else that crept into his mind since he received his ring which involved Ladybug.

 _xxx_

 _Flashback: One Year Ago_

Adrien took the small note in his hands with many questions racing through his head. He flipped the note around to reveal another statement.

' _A lady with bright ocean eyes. A lady with a midnight head. A lady dressed in red brings luck to the battlefield. A ladybug, although small and humble, is the most powerful of them all.'_

Quietly, he turned his heels to walk towards his home. Adrien would reread the note over and over again while taking the ring in observation. He knew it all had to be a joke...right? However, that night had other plans for him.

"Claws out!"

 _xxx_

Since he lived his double life being accustomed as Chat Noir, he questioned that note on the back. He would look for girls with bright blue eyes and dark hair around Paris, but none of them was his lucky lady. Chat even recalled the time he embarrassed his civilian self in front of an American model as he would stare at the model with similar features throughout the whole shoot. The worst part is that it was a summer swimsuit photoshoot that they both were modeling together. He shivered. Yet, the teenager would question to himself what would happen if he ran into the girl? Would the girl know about this and keep it all a secret just like he lived his heroic life? Would everything change? That day, his questions were answered. It was her.

 _xxx_

 _Flashback: Day Before_

"You will never listen to me. I told you I'll be fine and that I'll be home before nine. It's just a quick concert underneath the Eiffel Tower, so it's not far away. But you'll never listen to me, father."

Adrien gave his father a quick glare before being escorted out of the room by his personal guard. Gabriel would just sit at his desk, clicking on his pen, not even saying a word to his son who was on the verge of crying. He simply just huffed and shook his head before returning to his paperwork for one of his fashion shows to be held in Los Angeles. Not a word came out of his mouth as he knew there was no way for his son to leave the mansion. He won again.

"I want to be a normal kid for once. I want to get out of here." Adrien solemnly paced himself down the long hall of his home. Tears would fall down his cheeks as he carried his heavy broken heart in his chest. Never has it ever been this bad before, but he wasn't happy in neither of his lives. He knew he was falling into depression.

" _What is he upset about?"_ A feminine voice broke the silence in his house which made him instantly look up. Standing in front of his was none other than Marinette.

"Huh...who are you? How did you get in...uhhh?" Adrien resumed to ask many questions, but there was no answer.

She stood there, inches apart from him, their faces so close to the point he could even clearly see the blue pigments of her irises. However, she didn't seem to notice him. Adrien reached out to touch her, only for him to touch nothing. It was as if she was a ghost from the other side.

But at that moment it all clicked in his head. He knew it was her!

 _xxx_

Even while he was a bit taken back from the fact that she somehow made it to his world, Chat saw Marinette's ghost occasionally follow him. Something that freaked him out about her was the fact he noted that he was the only one who could see her. When in public, Chat would see her stand there with people even walking through her. She would often appear and then vanish, being oblivious that there was someone who noticed her. Then there would be times when it seems that she would notice him back. Marinette would lightly squeal and fully look up and down at the cat hero then disappear as usual. Yet, the next time, he decided to go to her. What he expected was just a grasp of air, from trying to reach her, he got the opposite. To his surprise, Chat remembered the moment when her hand touched his - her hand is so soft and delicate, matching along with Marinette's sweet personality, he just had to find out more about her. So he lightly tugged her arm and then there she was. Marinette was now Ladybug.

What he found strange though was Ladybug's memory loss. She seemed like she was slowly recollecting her memories, but she couldn't even recall her own name. Knowing how wrong it was to hide this all from her, he didn't want her to feel trapped and hopeless. He finally wanted to enjoy this moment and to accompany her. However, her laughs and remarks slowly disappeared into light quiet noises as the cat boy continued. She was getting tenser to the point she would stand still like a statue with drops of water trickling down her hair.

"And so that's about my life being a superhero." Chat finished, getting up to walk beside her and grinned even wider to her. Hoping that she would return the smile, she would just poke the top of his nose and walked out into the rain with no emotion presented on her face. He pouted.

"Merci, kitty, but I need to...do something…" she spoke, not even looking behind her. Chat could feel his chest tighten as he saw her descend into the dark fogginess of the storm.

"Where are you going?" He asked with concern. Chat couldn't lose her.

Ladybug stopped in her tracks, not even looking back. There was something off about her. "Somewhere...cause this doesn't feel right…"

 _She must've remembered something…_

Chat instantly ran out towards her, the rain becoming even heavier which blurred his vision. He was then blinded by it. Lightning struck the tower and the thunder echoed throughout the city. It even intimidated him quite a bit. Not one person was in sight; not even his new friend.

 _No no no...she's gonna freak out...I can't lose her. She's gonna get hurt._

His heart slowly started to pound louder and louder against his ribcage with each second passing. Chat extended his rod and was about to leap into the sky onto the nearest rooftop until he spotted her. He instantly stopped. Ladybug was seen standing underneath the tower. His stinging eyes met the sight of the girl looking at her reflection in the puddle between her feet. She seemed to be also dazed as her knees were wildly shaking with fear. She bit onto her lip as her fingers reached towards her mask, attempting to then take it off, but had no luck. It was attached to her skin and only made her wince in pain with each tug she made. Chat could tell she recollected something from the other world.

"This is not who I am." Ladybug mumbled under her breath, shaking from the cold rain. "I am someone else. This isn't where I belong! I'm not Ladybug! This just doesn't feel right at all."

She shook her head and turned to the feline hero behind her. Thunder shook the ground, making her slightly jump in alarm and fall onto the ground. Her eyes could barely see anything as she would flutter her eyelashes to get the rain out of her eyes. There was no word to be said. Chat stood there, a couple of feet away from his friend, with no thoughts at all. This wasn't her world. This wasn't the home she knows. This isn't where she belonged; or even possibly existed.

His look dropped to the floor as he took a loud breath. He felt like he could empathize with her emotions. Chat knew the pain of feeling like an alien to another world. He lived in two worlds that are crumbling down. As Adrien, he was often left in the shadowy pits of disappointment, in which he called his house. He was trapped. He was alone. He felt like he had no family. His father was now only known as his boss now. Adrien was soon expected to take over the famous Agreste brand when he was older. He wasn't happy about that. He would go to photoshoots daily with no break or either see a specialist trainer as his father was starting to be displeased with Adrien's appearance due to the competitive field of modeling. It stung him hard. He knew this isn't what his mother wanted. She would've wanted for him to live a normal teenage boy life without the feeling of being trapped. Chat knew that both he and his mother shared a lot of features, whether it would be physical or behavioral, but most importantly they were both free spirits.

 _This is wrong…she's doesn't deserve to feel like this..._

"My lady, I am sorry." he softly spoke, not even looking up to see the now confused look from his friend. "You shouldn't feel this way. It's all my fault."

Ladybug blinked at him a few times and raised her eyebrows. Chat knew that by the end of the day he'll be completely alone again with no friend as he would've lost her. He also knew he would possibly get sick from the heavy drops falling on his head.

"I brought you into this world. My world is full of crime, drama, and fear. I know that this all is crashing down on you. You probably never seen evil like that akuma before. You probably never even heard of me before...which is a good thing. No one knows who I really am behind this mask and no matter how much the public tries to see me, no one will ever know." Chat's eyes then focused on her. His look was soft as if he was looking at the most precious being in his life but it was also filled with sorrow.

"What?" Ladybug asked with her arms crossed; he knew she was getting even more upset.

"I saw your face the other day and I knew that you were the one. You would follow me and look at what I do. You were like a ghost." He slowly walked towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder, then looked into her blue orbs. Chat madly blushed as he couldn't help but give another silly toothy smile to her. His heart was uncontrollable as he witnessed the edges of her lips curve up. He even noticed Ladybug blush and would try to avoid looking into his eyes by looking to the side or even turning her head. Chat could've sworn he felt magical little sparks surround them.

 _God, she's so cute...I'm gonna tell my bug a boo everything._

"My lady, you are-"

"LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR! It's time to end this once and for all!"

* * *

 _ **Sorry for not updating this in a while. I was away in California and Las Vegas for a couple of weeks and had no time to do anything. I am already working on the next chapter. The next chapter of Raising Steven might be up soon as well as a new ML story titled '9 Lives' coming soon!**_

 _ **Thank you for reading! Please follow/fav/review this story to show your appreciation! :)**_

 _ **-From Gem-Goddess**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Take My Hand**

 _Chapter 5_

* * *

"So we meet, Ladybug...with your miraculous and Chat Noir's, I can have all the power I could ever want."

A dark shadowy figure stood firmly in his place, out looking towards Paris. Many moths flew around his surrounding, circling around the figure. His eyes focused towards the small tiny people walking through the streets, grinning towards the thought of what he could possess with such power. He could have anything he could want. All of the city could obey him; or even the country. Perhaps the world. Everyone would live in fear from him. Yet, this wasn't a motivation for him. The figure looked down to his hand, holding onto a small locket with a picture of a young woman framed into it. He wanted her.

The young woman was smiling towards the camera while holding her newborn son; he was seen giggling while holding onto a golden lock of her hair. He looked so much like his mother. The baby already had the same color of hair as his mother and had clear green eyes. He was beautiful. They both were beautiful. This warmed his heart, yet at the same time, it was filled with fury. He growled.

"I want you to grab their miraculous! No more teasing around, Insecurer." He hissed, gripping onto the locket even tighter. He was losing patience. "Make them see their worst fear possible!"

The akuma laughed. "Oui, Hawkmoth."

Through the eyes of the akumatized man, the figure could see the two heroes look up to him with different looks on their faces. Ladybug stared at him in horror and screamed. Chat just rolled his eyes and hissed at the evil man. The hero was getting annoyed. Hawkmoth noted this and gave an evil chuckle. He enjoyed the negative feelings Chat was giving.

 _They shall pay...they all shall pay for her..._

"Now go, my akuma!"

…

In a second, the hooded man fled with fast speed towards them. Ladybug dodged the blow the akuma was aiming to throw. She couldn't believe anything that was happening to her at the moment. This wasn't who she was. She was no superhero. Ladybug never recalled fighting supernatural evil in her past. Never in her life would she ever think of seeing such a horrific monster in her life. All she could think of doing now was to run for her life. Slowly recovering her balance, she took a few steps away from the scene. Ladybug looked towards her companion as he was in full action of fighting the beast. He swung his rod around, jumping around the akuma and tried to defeat it. The heavy rain made it seem like a flash of black and red were spinning around in it.

"You will never have it!" Chat snarled. He flung himself to the man.

The two continued to fight, hurting each other with each blow. The akuma twirled around, grasping onto the side of his hood and swung his arm around, clawing Chat's sides. He screeched in pain as the akuma pushed him down. Chat's suit was now torn and drenched in his own blood.

"You...you will...never...have it." Chat spoke again in a staggering breath, holding onto the freshly made wound on his ribs. The akuma came towards him. He grabbed him on the collar, chuckling as Chat tried to kick him off, yet failed.

"I know your weakness, Chat Noir! You're a stupid alley cat, nonetheless. You're a disgrace to Paris!" Insecurer yelled towards the struggling teen, injuring him even more. He screeched even louder. "Look into my eyes, kitty! Look into them to see your worst nightmare!"

With his loose hand, Insecurer forcefully gripped Chat's chin and turned him to look into his eyes. Even though Chat would try his hardest to shut his eyelids to avoid the deathly empty eyes of the akuma, he failed and gave in. He was now hypnotized, stuck in a state of anxiety and shock.

"No one loves you. You will always be alone - no family. No friends. You're controllable; easily manipulated. You think you're not worthy of receiving. You're scared of the world knowing your true identity because you know you're real self is a trapped crybaby. You're pathetic, Chat Noir! And you call yourself a hero to Paris - I don't see one!"

Chat continued to deeply stare into the eyes of the akuma, tears streaming down his face. He violently shook and mumbled many different things under his breath that couldn't be identified. As his finger was now unguarded, the boney hands of Insecurer reached towards the ring being worn by Chat. It was his chance to get the miraculous.

 _No. No no no._ Ladybug shook her head. She had to think of something fast. _No one hurts my friends._

Ladybug took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, letting the rain touch her skin as she lifted her face towards the sky. Grounding herself, she knew she had to face the fear crawling in her skin. Although she did get many shivers, Ladybug had to fight the akuma. It was all up to her. She opened her eyes. At first, she started with a steady walk back to the scene which eventually turned into running as fast as she could towards Insecurer. Forming her hands into tight fists, she leaped off the ground and gave her first punch. Instantly, the akuma dropped Chat.

"I told you to not hurt him!" She loudly spoke in anger.

Ladybug had the look of determination. She had so much adrenaline running through her veins, that it actually felt amazing. She couldn't even believe what she just did, but she couldn't lose focus just yet. It wasn't over. Ladybug fully took in the presence of the akuma in front of her as she tried to identify the weak spot for him. That's when she spotted something peculiar standing out from the man; his chain necklace. Out of all the things that seemed fittingly for Insecurer, this item was heavily out of place. It lightly shined out of the darkness from his hood. Ladybug had to get a better look at the item.

"My lady..." Chat whimpered. Ladybug turned her attention to the masked hero who was laying in a puddle of blood mixed with the waterfall of the rain. This scene gave her a feeling that a thorn was being pierced into her heart as she saw him tightly hold onto his wound with gritted teeth. Even through all this pain, he continued to give her the brightest smile he could give. Her heart was madly beating again, but this time out of affection.

She made her way to him then kneeled down to get a better look at him. Chat now had a goofy cartoony grin plastered onto his face as he winked at her.

"You really are a superhero, my lady. You saved me."

Ladybug took his face into her hands and lightly brought him closer to her own. From the short amount of time she met him, Chat already became very precious to her. He meant the world to her at the moment as he held her hand through the unfamiliar world she was in. Could it be possible to say that something was developing in her heart for this masked boy? She didn't know.

"We're a team. I am not going anywhere." Ladybug leaned in as her head rested upon his, their foreheads supporting one another.

"You're ok, right?" She whispered to him, but only to receive him purring as he nuzzled her.

"Don't worry about me, bug-a-boo. I'm...ok. Worry about him. I believe in you."

Those were the words she needed to hear. Something shifted in her. It was something she never felt before. Being careful of not trying to hurt Chat, she gently released her hold on him and slowly rose up from her spot. Ladybug had to end this chaos with this villain one way or another. There was a look of anger behind her mask as she ghoulishly walked towards Insecurer.

He glared at the newcomer heading his way. "Aww, you were comforting your kitten. Are you going to fight for your boyfriend?"

Ladybug snickered at his question and shook her head.

"Yes. Not just for him. For all the good people of Paris you tortured!"

She stopped in her tracks as soon as she stood close enough to the akuma. The golden chain necklace was visible on his neck now. This necklace had to mean something. Her hands longed to just rank the chain off him and see whether that did anything. Only one way to find out…

"So tell me this. Where I can find a pretty necklace like yours. It definitely makes you shine." Ladybug rested her hands on her hips, tapping her foot on the ground with impatience. As badly as she wanted to jump on him and fight him, she had to think it through. One wrong move and she could end up like Chat.

"Don't mind that. Hehe. I sense something from you. You're scared of me, aren't you princess? I can see the fear in your eyes!"

"Hey! Only...I-I call her princess..!" Chat retorted loudly, but he was hushed with a growl from the villain.

"You never seen something like me. You thought of turning around and to hide behind that bush over there until Chat was suppose to defeat me. You know you aren't the real Ladybug. You want to go back to your world so badly. You know you don't belong here. You don't have the guts to fight me."

Ladybug just simply glared and gritted her teeth. "Try me."

…

Mornings were the worst. Always had been. Always will be.

"Alya! Come for breakfast! You don't want to be late for school! Your sisters want you to help them set this video game up as well!"

 _Ughhhhh..._

It has been two days since the disappearance of Marinette. Her face was seen everywhere throughout the city in both national news, missing posters, and newspapers. Alya felt horrible and didn't have the desire to go to school and to sit next to an empty seat that belonged to her best friend. It was too much to bear. Marinette was what made her get through the day at school without cursing someone out or even getting into a fight; especially with Chloé being there. Yet she remembered she had other friends who were also in shock at the news.

Her screen was already glowing up with incoming messages from them.

[Rose: I do not want to come to class today. :( ]

[Marc: It's gonna be too depressing.]

[Nino: But we have that important lab work today. I'm sad too because Marinette was the best, but we have to keep being strong dudes. She would've wanted that.]

[Juleka: Rose, do you want me to meet up with you at your house in 15 minutes?]

[Rose: Yes please. I guess I'll go to class. Did anyone do the homework? If yes, can I please get a copy of it? Thanks!]

Alya yawned, stretching her arms and legs as well as cracking a few joints before she officially got up. She changed into her regular clothing, put on some light makeup, and walked out of her room into the sight of her family sitting around the dining table. Her mother was toasting bread, her father was reading the newspaper while drinking coffee, and her sisters were in their own world.

"Salut, Alya!" Her younger twin sisters spoke in unison with cake battered around their mouths as they ran to the couch. "Can you please set up Princess Fairy Academy on the GameToy? Pretty please."

Alya just turned her head to look at them both and gave a gloomy nod with a weak smile. "Yes, but it will have to wait till I get back from school. I promise. And remember that mom said to not stain the new couch!"

She took her seat at the table and sighed. It felt like a heavyweight was dropped inside her chest. Her thoughts were wildly racing from an idea towards another, but they gave no hope. Since their early elementary days, she and Marinette were the best of friends. Marinette was her only friend when she just moved to Paris. She was only six years old, being scared out of her mind, and Marinette helped her. From there on they were inseparable. They would walk to the park together, hand in hand, to play at the playground or get ice cream from a stand there. Alya would always be the one to get in trouble while Marinette was a goody two shoes who was picked on at times from being a crybaby. They balanced each other out. Marinette was the one who carried her books and backpack when she had a broken foot, as her life was a misery by walking around in a big ridiculous cast and she held onto her clutches. They both even told most of their secrets to each other. Alya loved Marinette as a sister. She wished she could see her again.

She didn't even notice her breakfast being served to her by her mother. "This news station called. They say they want to interview you about Marinette. They left their number with me in case you decide to call back. Also, could you please buy white lilies and give them to Marinette's parents? I'll give you some money and say they're from us as a gift of sympathy. I'm sure they could use some comfort after such a rough week."

"Yea, mom. I just...don't know what to do…" Alya took a sip of her orange juice and rested her head on her palm. "I feel so bad. I feel like it's my fault she's gone. I feel like she could also be dea-"

"Alya, don't speak like that! You know that's not true. Don't lose faith. She's a smart girl. Now, I have to go to the hotel. I don't want to be late for my job as well. Money is on the counter." Her mother kissed Alya on the forehead then proceeded to say her goodbyes to the rest then left. Soon after, her father left and it was just her and her siblings.

After quickly finishing her food and looking through her feeds, Alya made her way to her room to pick up her books; but that was when she noticed something that wasn't right. The comic book that was left behind by Marinette was glowing. It sat out on her bed, turning pages as if someone was scanning through it. Yet no one was there.

"What? How? Not again!" Alya snatched the book up, being a bit annoyed by it at this point. This was the sixth time the book did this in her possession. Since the time they found it, the group of friends decided to investigate the mysterious book as it wasn't like any other comic book they ever came across. Alya had a theory behind this book, but there was not enough evidence to support it. Yet, some things just didn't connect.

What she noticed first was the bond between two masked characters as their foreheads were pressed one another. The heroine in red held the feline-themed hero tightly between her hands. The hero in black was seen with blood all around his torso as well as a deep fresh wound, but his facial expression showed no pain. He simply smiled at his lady with shining eyes. Alya could tell that this character loved the one holding him. So much detail was put into those green emerald eyes of his that shined with the reflection of his lady.

Scanning a couple of pages, Alya found a full body pose of the heroine. She found out her name was Ladybug...how fitting as her costume was polka dotted. The character had an expression of anger as she stared at the viewer. This sent shivers down Alya's spine. She looked so much like Marinette. Same dark bluish black hair being held in pigtails. Same colored blue eyes. Same facial structure. This was a bit unnerving for Alya as she slowly closed the book and stuffed it into her backpack. Her friends had to look at this comic again.

 _I think I know where Marinette is...but there's no way for it to be true._

…

" ' _You want to go back to your world so badly'..._ yeah, I don't know what to say, Alya. Ladybug looks so much like Marinette but I doubt that this is actually her. Your crazy conspiracy makes no sense. Magic like this doesn't exist. Life isn't like those Hollywood movies, you know?"

"Grrr, but this has to do something with Marinette being gone! I know so, Nino! Something tells me this character is our Marinette! How else do you explain all this talk of ' _another world'_ in this thing! That world is ours! I'm becoming more certain with each page I read!"

Alya stared down all of her friends, her knuckles turning even whiter as she held her fists tighter. It was quiet between them even though they were in their lunch period at the cafeteria. They all tried to avoid her stare by either looking at their phones or just by hiding their face in the comic book. She shook her head in disappointment. Another thing that hasn't left her mind, leaving her restless for a night was the comic book of Chat Noir's adventures. It would do its normal habit of glowing up, but Ladybug was what caught her attention. She read the comic book from front to back, knowing almost every page by memory. There were so many mysterious elements involving this book that it was her last strand of hope for knowing where her best friend is.

"I know it's hard to accept that Marinette is gone…" Rose quietly spoke to break the silence. She was still trying to avoid Alya's stare.

Luka slammed his hands onto the table, startling everyone at once. "It's been only two days! We're jumping to conclusions so quickly! Marinette is fine!"

His loud voice was enough to even get all of the attention from the students in the cafeteria. Especially the attention of a blonde one who growled at him as her cappuccino was all over her meal. She glared at them. All eyes in the cafeteria now focused on the worst spoiled drama queen of all of Paris.

"Would you losers be quiet! I'm trying to enjoy my lunch in peace! Daddy had it delivered to me but you rats made me spill it all over my food! You all better buy me another meal!" Chloé hissed, crumbling the paper cup that once held her drink into her manicured hands.

"Shut up, Chloé! You have money to buy yourself all the food in the world. So be the wicked witch of the west somewhere else and leave us normal people in peace!" Alya snapped back. Some students couldn't help but let out a small chuckle to her statement.

"Oh _paaleease_! At least I'm not getting kidnapped like our dear special princess, Marinette!"

At once the room was quiet again. That was the sentence that made a group of friends snap; especially Alya. She got up from her seat, pushing the table a few inches away and stomped over to the blonde who just stood there with a smirk. Chloé knew what she said. She cracked Alya just like she wanted.

"Don't you talk about Marinette like that! She is not kidnapped! She's alive out there and will be back!" Alya loudly remarked, her head moving closer to Chloé's own. "So shut up, bi-"

"Hahaha, ohh poor wittle Alya. When are you going to wake up from this fantasy world and accept that she's gone? If she can't be found in France at all then she's probably gone. She isn't that smart to survive on her own in another country or let alone outside of Paris." Chloé lightly pushed Alya away from her, laughing a bit louder than before. "And don't forget that I can get you expelled again…"

Alya huffed then quietly backed away. Her look dropped to the ground in defeat. She stood firmly in place as her chest would slowly rise and fall. She didn't even notice Chloé making her way towards her lunch table. So much was running through her head again. Alya thought towards the time when Marinette would've held her back from starting a fight. She felt hurt again.

Once Chloé made her way towards the group, she sat on their table, her legs crossed as she playfully tilted her head to the side and evilly grinned. "So what have you losers been looking at this whole time? Les Aventures du Chat Noir? That is soo utterly riiidiiiculous!"

She snatched the comic book in her hands, out of Nino's grasp, and flipped through the pages. Her expression being none other than a poker face. Students continued to have their attention on Chloé as her next move was to pick up a nearby pen. Instantly, Nino got up from his chair and reached over to grab the comic book. Yet, Chloé was fast enough to jump off the table and dashed towards the other side of the cafeteria with the book and pen in hand.

"Give that back Chloé!" Nino ordered with anger. "This is not cool at all!"

"Ok, but you gotta admit, this comic book is so lame. I mean a cat boy saving this city? That's stupid, don't you think? The only good thing about this is the cute rich boy named Adrien, but that's it. Not even Nathaniel can come up with something more stupider than this!"

The addressed boy looked up from his sketchbook and glared back at her. "I'm better at art than you though. You even consider putting filters on your selfie as art. Nothing can get stupider than that."

Again, the cafeteria was filled with light chuckles. Chloé growled again and snapped her fingers, signaling her henchman Sabrina to come over. "Ok Sabrina, we're gonna show this whole school what good art is by giving this lame book a makeover."

Nino glanced over at Alya in concern, but she was still stuck in her gaze towards the ground. However, she quickly snapped out of it when she heard what Chloé was about to do. Alya turned around and ran towards the evil duo, but was too late. Chloé had already scribbled out one of the characters in the book and pierced through a couple of pages with the pen. She even drew a smiley face on it with her lip gloss. The comic book was permanently damaged.

"Well it looks like Chat Noir and Ladybug are gonna have trouble, aren't they?" Chloé happily asked, throwing the comic book to Alya. "What are our heroes gonna do?"

* * *

 _ **I'm going to try and make this a weekly update. I'll try to update this every Friday/Saturday! It gives me the whole week to work on this!**_

 _ **Please review/follow/fav because it makes me have more motivation to update more frequently. Tell me what you think of this story. Tell me any story ideas for the future and I might consider them. I'm open to anything! :)**_

 _ **-With Love, Gem Goddess**_

 _ **(PS: Who excited for the new episode of ML this Monday? I know I am!)**_


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